1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tow bars for towing a towed vehicle behind a towing vehicle having one of a plurality of different types of hitch connections.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior art tow bars typically include a head pivotally or fixedly secured to a hitch component that is structured to be releasably connectable to a hitch apparatus of a towing vehicle. The head has a pair of rearwardly-extending tow bar legs which, in turn, are pivotally or fixedly secured to rear connectors that also are pivotally or fixedly connectable to a towed hitch apparatus of a towed vehicle; one of the tow bar legs may be pivotally connected to the head, whereas the other tow bar leg is fixedly secured to the head.
In other words, a prior art tow bar is typically an articulated apparatus having a head, which is releasably connectable to a towing hitch apparatus of a towing vehicle, but is not typically releasable from the remainder of the tow bar apparatus.
For some applications, a tow bar remains connected to the front of a towable vehicle or other equipment, sometimes referred to herein as a towed vehicle, so the vehicle or equipment can be towed, for example, from one construction site to another by any one of several different towing vehicles. The problem being that the various towing vehicles may not have the same type of hitch connection for connecting to the tow bar connected to the towed vehicle.
For example, the hitch connection of one towing vehicle may consist of a conventional receiver hitch for connecting to a square, forwardly-directed shank of a tow bar connected to the towed vehicle, whereas the hitch connection of another towing vehicle may consist of a hitch ball for connecting to a hitch ball receiver (there is more than one size of hitch ball) of a tow bar connected to the towed vehicle, or a pintle connection for connecting to a lunette ring of a tow bar connected to the towing vehicle, etc. It should be noted that this situation is further complicated by the fact that there are several different sizes of hitch balls, more than one size of square shanks for conventional receiver hitches, etc.
Various prior art attempts have been made in order to provide tow bars that can connect a towed vehicle to a variety of hitch connections of towing vehicles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,827,307 granted Mar. 18, 1958 to Osborn, discloses a selective implement hitch which includes a flat body with four arms mounted to rotate about a vertically-oriented axis on a drawbar of a towing vehicle, each arm having a respective one of a hook; a hole for accommodating a pin, clevis or the like; a ball; or a loop.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,968,494 granted Jan. 17, 1961 to Klouda, discloses a hitch device having a laterally-swinging hitch element wherein either a ring or a clevis-type connection extends forwardly from a draft arm of a towed vehicle for connecting to a towing vehicle.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,134 granted Apr. 2, 1974 to Dees, discloses a multi-hitch element tow hitch construction wherein a plurality of differently-sized hitch balls are mounted on an adapter rotatable about a fore-to-aft horizontal axis.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,434 granted Apr. 20, 1976 to Sause, discloses a three-way trailer hitch wherein a trailer tongue has a socket for capturing a standard hitch ball and a hitch bar has a loop at one end, a clevis at the other end, and a hitch ball in the middle.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,678, granted Mar. 3, 1998 to Hunger, discloses a trailer coupling assembly wherein a pivotable drawbar has an eye with a first inner diameter at one end thereof and another eye with a second inner diameter at the other end.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,744, granted Nov. 24, 1998 to Marks, discloses a vehicle towing hitch having a plurality of differently-sized hitch balls mounted on the outside surfaces of a hollow rotatable polygonally-shaped tubular section, and a pintle telescopingly mounted in the hollow of the tubular section.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 7,347,440, granted Mar. 25, 2008 to Shannon, discloses a trailer hitch having multiple hitch balls mounted on a rotatable plate of a trailer.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 7,673,894, granted Mar. 9, 2010 to Bender, discloses a dual trailer hitch having a reversible trailer hitch body with multiple types of hitches at distal ends thereof.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 7,784,813, granted Aug. 31, 2010 to Columbia, discloses a multi-task trailer hitch assembly having a plurality of receiving tubes for attachment of one or more hitch-mounted receiver-type accessories while also retaining a hitch ball.
Also, U.S. Pat. Appln. Publ. No. 2010/0207357, published Aug. 19, 2010 to Hathcock et al., discloses a coupler converter adapter having a first hitch mechanism for connection to a towed hitch apparatus of a vehicle to be towed and a second hitch mechanism for connection to a towing hitch apparatus of a towing vehicle.
What is needed is a tow bar having a front part that is releasably connectable to towing hitch apparatus of towing vehicles, wherein each towing hitch apparatus has a different type and/or size of connection.
What is also needed is a tow bar with a front part that is releasably connectable to a towing hitch apparatus of a towing vehicle, and is also releasably connectable to the remaining part of the tow bar having legs that are releasably connectable to a towed hitch apparatus of a towed vehicle.
What is further needed is a tow bar having a plurality of interchangeable towing assemblies, each interchangeable towing assembly being releasably connectable to a different type and/or size of towing hitch connection, wherein each interchangeable towing assembly is also releasably connectable to the remaining part of the tow bar having rearwardly-extending legs releasably connectable to a towed hitch apparatus of a towed vehicle.